The Aransas-San Patricio Master Gardeners recently hosted a lunchtime speaker from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). Curious as to why? It turns out that residential water use increases significantly during the summer and so do household water bills. The cause? Outdoor irrigation – we are trying to keep our gardens going in the south Texas heat.
According to the San Patricio Municipal Water District where Rockport gets its water, in 2022 Rockport water usage ranged from 69 million gallons in February to over 108 million gallons in both June and July. The year before it ranged from 63 million gallons in January to 114 million gallons in August. That is close to a doubling of water use during the summer months. It could be a near doubling of your monthly water bill too.
The Texas Water Development Board is responsible for working with local officials to develop a state water plan so adequate water resources are available for households, agriculture, industry and the Coastal Bend’s beloved saltwater estuaries to function. The TWDB speaker noted that the population of Texas is forecast to increase 73 percent between 2020 and 2070. At the same time, the existing water supply in Texas is expected to decrease by 18 percent. That means if things do not change there will be less water for a LOT more people.
The most recent version of the state plan, Water for Texas, was approved in 2022. It contains nearly 6,000 strategies for both increasing water supply and decreasing water use. About one- third of the strategies focus on decreasing water use or water conservation.
If the strategies are not implemented, about 25 percent of Texas’ population in 2070 will have less than half of the municipal water supply needed during drought conditions. The Master Gardeners wanted to know how we should change our gardening practices to reduce water use (and our water bills!).
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The first recommendation was to capture water during rainfalls. It seems more and more that when it rains, it pours. Installing rain barrels (or buckets or totes or tanks) catches excess rainfall and holds it for use later. Collected rainwater is perfect for watering outdoor plants and, when water restrictions are in place during drought conditions, it can be used more frequently than city water.
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The second recommendation was to focus on native plants in landscaping. Naturalists like native plants because they provide food and shelter for pollinators and birds. But did you know native plants also love Coastal Bend summers? Once they are established, they require little water. Native plants are growing around us without cultivation or sprinklers. And, as mentioned above, local birds and pollinators flock to native plants so there will be lots of things besides flowers and grass to admire in your yard.
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The third recommendation was to try xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is essentially designing a garden to reduce the need for active watering and maintenance. Landscape plants that can survive on rainfall alone and require little other maintenance are the focus of a xeriscape design. Cacti with gravel as a filler comes to mind for many. But many native plants such as cenizo, Turks cap, firebush, esperanza, and sabal palms can be incorporated into a xeriscape design since Coastal Bend natives are drought tolerant. Native plants can soften the stark appearance that is often undeservedly associated with xeriscaping.
The Aransas-San Patricio Master Gardeners can help you implement these recommendations from the Texas Water Development Board. The booklet, “In Our Coastal Gardens,” available for free at the Aransas County Extension Office, illustrates plants that are native or adapted to the Rockport-Fulton area. Master Gardeners propagate many of the plants highlighted in the booklet and they are available for sale after most monthly lectures. Finally, with the help of Texas Water Development Board staff, Master Gardeners plan to host a 2025 workshop on how to build rain barrels. We hope to see you there!